Serpent Knight
by The Wobbly Guy
Summary: The galaxy is being overrun by the Yuuzhan Vong. A Sith Lord will appear, powerful beyond belief. What does he want, and how did he come to be? This is his story... Pls R&R!
1. Prologue

_The true identity of the so-called 'Serpent Knight' is one of the Republic's greatest mysteries._

_Arguably the most powerful Sith Lord ever to have lived, he had the galaxy in the palm of his hand. With a strategic brilliance reminiscent of Thrawn, he defeated the Yuuzhan Vong, convinced many worlds to give up their freedom for his iron clad 'security', and even had the audacity to choke the leader of the Senate during a meeting!_

_His face adorned by a black metal mask, and armed with his distinctive double bladed lightsaber, capable of three shifting saber lengths on each side and separating into two lightsabers, he cut an unique swath through the morass of fear and uncertainty that had accompanied the Yuuzhan Vong invasion._

_And then he disappeared without a trace…_

_His legacy is still a palpable one, evident in the military forces that he had amassed and used to destroy the Vong without remorse, then left for the New Republic to recruit and absorb, left leaderless by their nascent Emperor. The two Death Stars he built… now used as mobile spaceports. Ironic fates for such fearsome weapons of war!_

_It was long rumored that he died in a final duel with the Yuuzhan Vong commander Tsavong Lah on their last worldcraft, but the Jedi who were present during that last fateful mission were all unwilling to talk about what happened. And no wonder, for the Vong were utterly wiped out in that final encounter…_

_In the end analysis, was he a hero or a villain? Nobody knows for sure, not even those who served under him._

_from 'Legends of The Galaxy'_

_by Assayre Talco_

"We need a new emperor." The old man sitting around the table in the silent darkness wheezed, even as he leaned forward to press his point.

"Why?" Another man, not quite as old or decrepit, but with the years equally etched on his face, asked.

"Because events are slipping out of our grasp! The New Republic grows in strength year by year, and our possessions grow ever weaker. Another few years, and what we want may be forever be beyond our grasp!"

"You always wanted too much. That would ever be your undoing." A third voice, tired and drained of vigor, commented.

"And you would stand by and watch as we lose everything we have worked for? Sithspawn! We kissed the Emperor's ass, bowed and scraped for position. When he died, our chance at more power was gone as well. When Thrawn returned, he promised us everything that the Emperor offered, as long as we provided him support. And now the Empire is only a shadow of its former glory, and that imbecile Pellaeon doesn't seem to mind at all!"

Another man sneered. "You take over Pellaeon then. Let's see if you can govern half as well as he does."

"Do you doubt my ability?" The offended man's hands slid beneath his robes, as though reaching for a weapon.

The second man who had spoken slammed his palms on the hard table, wincing slightly as they were stung by the unforgiving wood. "Stop this bickering, and consider carefully the consequences of our actions."

He continued, "What happens if we do nothing? Does it really matter? We have our wealth, ample to ensure a long and comfortable life in our old age. There's little need to fight so hard like we did in the past for power…"

"What about the threats that Thrawn spoke of? I gather that he was not lying. If anything, recent intel reports indicate that he might have underestimated the seriousness of the situation. There's this race of beings called the Yuuzhan Vong that has been slowly infiltrating the galaxy for several years now…"

"Yes, yes, we all know that. So what are we going to do about it?"

"Maybe nothing. Thrawn did indicate that he might be back someday. Remember the men he had selected for his household troops, where they had gone."

"Are any of you willing to bet our futures on his return? I know I'm not."

"So that leaves us with only one option. To somehow engineer the return of the Emperor…"

"Unfortunately, Palpatine is gone. And there is no chance of his returning from the dead this time, not after his backup cloning chambers were destroyed."

"And even if he returns, he might not be too amenable to us. I say we create a new Emperor, one we can control."

"Is that even possible?"

"Yes. I have already thought it out. He must be a force user like Palpatine, but also having the command ability of Thrawn."

"And how, pray tell, are we going to get somebody like that?"

The old man grinned. He had their attention hooked now. All that was left was to reel them in.

"First, we get a child, strong in the Force…"

This is something else that had been floating in my head for a looooong time.

I just don't really understand why the New Republic was so inept at fighting back the Vong. The offense is always better than the defense, especially in strategic terms in space, where borders do not exist, but supply lines do. And the Vong, at least initially, did NOT have any way to renew their military material. On the offense, the attacker dictates the number of forces that he can brings to any battle, while the defender is often left guessing and weighing the best options to protect his worlds. And he who defends everything, defends nothing. Which the New Republic is doing.

Obviously, they did not read Sun-Tzu. Or maybe their political system is at fault. Can't help it.

Any army that cannot renew their starfighters, warships etc is doomed in a war of attrition. Thrawn would have seen that, and simply dared his troops to engage the Vong with end runs into their territory to destroy their existing yorik coral production worlds. Scorch the earth, and leave nothing standing. Send suicide troops after the worldships. Destroy the enemy's will to fight. And force the Jedi to headhunt enemy leaders, if that is even possible.

So this was my attempt at trying to put somebody like Thrawn back into the story, but with several wild twists. Pls review if you think I should continue…


	2. Path to Heaven

**_The Past_**

_The Sith Lord gasped, clutching his chest as the paralytic poison started encroaching on his heart. He tried to use the Force to block out the poison, but the pain from the wounds he had suffered made it so hard to concentrate._

_He laid on the floor, trying to crawl away, away to safety. Away from his enemy._

_Away from his apprentice._

_He reached for his lightsaber, just inches away, but a shadow fell over him, a black boot stepping on the lightsaber, and he did not need to look up to see the slim warrior holding a Sith blade standing almost right over him._

_"Well, well, well," the figure mocked, "Looks like my dear Master isn't as strong as he thought he was."_

_The Sith Lord whispered, "Damn you."_

_"I'll take that as a compliment." His apprentice squatted down beside the Sith, a half-mocking, half-pitying smile on his young face. "Ah, how the mighty have fallen. You thought you could control me, did you? You thought you could shape me like all those before you have done. Well now, I am beyond all of you now. Beyond your shaping, your manipulation. From now on, what I do is of my own will. No more Thrawn, no more Sith, no more Empire. My path, my goals, my way."_

_The Sith summoned his remaining strength to speak, "You may have defeated me, but it was through trickery and guile. You are not strong enough to defeat the Jedi, or to reestablish the Empire. Not without my guidance."_

_The apprentice laughed. It was a hideous laugh, full of the promise of pain and death._

_"You? Teach me? You have nothing to teach me. You're just a Force adept playing at being a Sith. All those years trying to act mysterious and tough, just because you stumbled on the late emperor's Sith holocrons. But you only barely managed to scratch the surface of his teachings, and not their essence. By the Sith, you can't even unlock the majority of the holocrons!"_

_A sudden horrid fear washed over the Sith Lord. "You've unlocked the holocrons…"_

_The young man, not even fifteen years old, nodded, and sneered. "Yes fool, and the secrets of the Sith, all of them, will soon be mine, not yours. The Jedi will fall, and so will the Republic. I shall be the new Emperor, and I shall have years to carry out my plan. But you'll just have to die now."_

_There was nothing left to say. The Sith knew he could have tried begging for his life, but it was pointless. Even in the Sith, apprentices were supposed to aid their Master! "Betrayer…" He hissed out._

_The youth smiled, nodding his head. "That sounds nice. I think Darth Trayer would serve me well as my Sith title, wouldn't it? Thank you for this last gift. You can die now."_

_The youth's sword flashed up, and the Sith knew no more._

_Wotan stood up from the bullet-riddled and bloody corpse of his former Master, smiling grimly. Removing Darth Rage had been so easy. A bit of poison here, a stun blaster there set to maximum dispersal spread, and a rapid firing slug thrower from the locals finished the job for him._

_He flicked his Sith blade to remove the blood from Rage's throat from the finely honed edge. While a lightsaber would have been even better, and obviously quite a bit cleaner by cauterizing wounds rather than opening them up, Wotan rather enjoyed the sight of blood. It was… artistic. He wondered if he would continue using the Sith blade after he had built his own lightsaber._

_He had everything he needed. The support of several Imperial Remnant families, who had assured him of a sizable segment of the empire's military, and now, most importantly, the Emperor's stratagems and plots to bring the galaxy under his sway. Coupled with the tactical and leadership abilities from the dead Grand Admiral Thrawn his former handlers had implanted into him, Wotan was sure it was only a matter of time before the Republic, the Chiss, the Vong, and Sith knows what else bow to his will._

_Then there was clapping from behind him._

_Wotan spun around, his blade at the ready. The blood from Rage's body pooled at his boots, splattering the sides of his boots as he stepped into the puddle of blood._

_There was a blond haired man, clad in a nondescript brown jacket, looking slightly amused as he continued clapping from his position beside the base's door. He carried no weapons, but Wotan felt uneasy._

How the heck did he get in? _Wotan thought._ This is a dirt world, and Rage made sure that this place was well hidden from prying eyes. I must be careful.

_"Bravo! Bravo!" The man applauded, "Excellent performance, I must say! Hey, I know this fine establishment over at…"_

_"Who are you?" Wotan spat, his eyes never leaving the man as he walked cautiously towards him, his Sith blade held before him in a standard guard position. "How did you get in?"_

_"Uh," the man rubbed his chin with one hand, "I'm just a traveling used starship salesman? And the door was open?" He grinned rather stupidly._

Then die, fool. _Wotan judged the distance, and he launched into an attack, using the Force to propel himself forward, his blade flashing out in a swipe that should have carried it through the man's body._

_Except that the blond man was no longer there._

_Wotan did not even bother spinning around to look for the man. _Before I turn around, I'll be six feet underground. _He rolled on the floor to get some distance and time before coming up in a stance with his blade at the ready. He used the Force again, speeding up his roll and pushing himself off the ground at speeds impossible for somebody who could not use the Force._

_But as he rolled up, bringing his blade up at the same time, he saw the man already in front of him. Somehow the man was fast enough to keep up with him  His hands snaked towards Wotan's face, somehow evading his blade._

_And then all went dark._

**_The Present_**

"Attention, all passengers! We have reached Mon Calamari. Please enjoy your stay!"

Wotan opened his eyes, and stifled a yawn. He stretched his arms up and out, trying to work the kinks out of his limbs and back. The other passengers aboard the crowded freighter were already getting up and taking out their luggage.

It had been a less than pleasant journey to the present capital of the Republic, but in the midst of the war with the Vong, creature comforts were at a premium. He had been lucky to even fall asleep. Several of the other passengers had stayed awake throughout the entire journey, the jostling and bumpy ride a major hindrance to proper rest. The inertial compensators really needed a repair job. Wotan could feel some bruises from the ride on his butt and back.__

_Serves me right for flying economy._ Wotan smiled ruefully at himself, before reaching into the compartment above his head for his luggage, which wasn't much. _But this was the best way to enter Mon Calamari without arousing too much suspicion._

Several of the other passengers had trouble reaching their luggage, and Wotan, being tall enough, found himself helping an elderly couple, and then a woman trying ride herd on several children to get their luggage from the storage compartments. He winked at the children, and they giggled back at him.

A smiling, but obviously overworked female Twi'lek flight attendant bid farewell to each passenger as they departed the cramped passenger freighter, and Wotan flashed a genuine grin back at her as he walked out.

The system primary's light warmed him as he walked out into the open, bringing life and light to the outside. Wotan smelled the air, slight tangy and salty from the extensive seas over the world. He allowed himself to enjoy the sun for a while, standing on the landing pad of the spaceport while the other passengers walked past him.

_This is a nice world, _he thought, before remembering the mission he had set out for himself. _I guess I had better get to work._

_The Senate is SO gonna love me tomorrow… _Wotan walked towards the spaceport terminal, grinning at the thought. _I wonder how they would react to a new Sith Lord… Shoot me on sight? Arrest me? _He shrugged. _What the hey? You only get to live once._

I know I'm supposed to be working on the Battle of Landsmark for my CBT fic "Seekers in Shadow", but let's just call this a change of pace…


End file.
